Reading: Pride and prejudice.pdf — Chapter Thirty-Two (Abridged)

Elizabeth was sitting by herself the next morning, writing a letter to her sister Jane. Charlotte and Maria had gone out to the village. Suddenly, she was startled by a ring at the door. She expected it to be Lady Catherine, so she quickly hid her letter to avoid nosy questions. However, to her great surprise, Mr. Darcy entered the room alone.

He seemed shocked to find her by herself and apologized for interrupting her. He explained that he thought all the women were at home.

They sat down, and after Elizabeth asked politely about the people at Rosings, they almost fell into complete silence. Elizabeth knew she had to say something. Remembering the last time she saw him in Hertfordshire, she felt curious about why he and his friends had left so suddenly.

"You all left Netherfield so fast last November, Mr. Darcy!" she said. "Mr. Bingley must have been very surprised to see you all follow him to London so soon. I hope he and his sisters were well when you left them?"

"Perfectly well, thank you," Darcy replied.

Elizabeth waited, but he said nothing else. After a short pause, she added, "I heard that Mr. Bingley does not plan to return to Netherfield."

"I have never heard him say that," Darcy answered. "But it is likely he will spend very little time there in the future. He has many friends, and his social life is always growing."

Elizabeth replied, "If he will not be there much, it might be better for the neighborhood if he gave up the house completely. Then a settled family could move in."

"I would not be surprised if he gave it up as soon as a good buyer comes along," Darcy said.

Elizabeth did not answer. She was afraid to talk more about his friend, so she decided to let Darcy choose the next topic.

Darcy took the hint and said, "This seems like a very comfortable house. I believe Lady Catherine did a lot to improve it when Mr. Collins first arrived."

"I believe she did," Elizabeth agreed. "And she could not have chosen a more thankful person."

"Mr. Collins seems very lucky in his choice of a wife," Darcy added.

"Yes, indeed," Elizabeth said. "My friend Charlotte is very smart, though I am not sure marrying Mr. Collins was her best decision. However, she seems completely happy, and practically speaking, it is a good match for her."

"It must be nice for her to live so close to her family," Darcy noted.

"Close? It is nearly fifty miles away!" Elizabeth exclaimed.

"What is fifty miles on a good road? Just half a day’s travel. Yes, I call that very close."

"I would never say Mrs. Collins lives near her family," Elizabeth argued.

Darcy smiled slightly. "That shows how attached you are to your own home. You probably think anything outside your neighborhood is far." He then moved his chair a little closer and said, "You cannot expect to always stay at Longbourn."

Elizabeth looked surprised. Darcy suddenly pulled his chair back, picked up a newspaper, and asked in a colder voice, "Are you pleased with Kent?"

They had a short, polite conversation until Charlotte and Maria returned. The two women were surprised to find Mr. Darcy there. He explained his mistake, sat for a few more minutes, and then left.

"What does this mean?" Charlotte asked once he was gone. "My dear Eliza, he must be in love with you! Why else would he visit so informally?"

Elizabeth explained how silent he had been, which made Charlotte's idea seem unlikely. They finally guessed he was just bored. Over the next few weeks, Mr. Darcy and his cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, visited the house often. It was obvious Colonel Fitzwilliam enjoyed their company, but Darcy’s visits were a mystery. He often sat in silence for ten minutes at a time. Charlotte watched him closely, hoping to see signs of love for Elizabeth, but she mostly just saw him staring blankly. She sometimes planned for Elizabeth to marry Colonel Fitzwilliam, who was much friendlier, but she knew Mr. Darcy was much richer and had more power.